JohnD1956

Have you visually inspected the fuel line? Perhaps it is rusted and developed a hole when it was blown out?

Nice 62 Louie. Where did you find that one?

Glad to see you're making progress Mike. No matter the color choice I'm sure that car will be stunning.

Lets try this

What the... I just tried it and it works for me. I recently installed IE 8 in my PC and as has happened in the past, I seem to be having nothing but trouble with this damn machine. Why can't they just leave stuff alone if it is already working?

If your car is like my Super, the front corners are held on with two small phillips head screws which are visible inside the door jamb. Once the corners are off, the center is held on by the wiper estchueons. The top on my Super is held in by the windshield. The rear was held on by clips with bolts that protrude through the body. Remove the inside rear trim and check the corners carefully. You should find the nuts there.

I purchased rear springs for my 56 from NAPA, after returning a set I got from a catalog. I was able to order them by spec, which allowed me to get a heavier diameter, the same number of turns ( 7 I believe) and pigtailed ends for bolting them in place. Ages ago (1975) I had the fronts replaced with a heavy duty spring and needed the heavier rear springs to level the car. While I like an original car too, I think my 56 rides pretty well with the heavier springs. Much less body roll

This showed up in our local paper this week. Enjoy! Ready to roll ... in 1950

Definitely agree. They are unique cars. Thanks for all those detail Pete. I never realized how special the 50's were. And nice car Scott. Still can't believe you found this less than 10 miles from where I live and I never knew about it.

I assume it's from California so this may be of no consequence. Here, in rust belt States, you need to look at the rear inner fender wells, where they meet the body. That area seems to be prone to rust through. Otherwise make sure you like the color, this car could be with you for a Looonnnggggg time.

Great cars, great pics...and personally...I love that 62 Special Wagon. Hope to find a nice one for myself oneday. Thanks Brian.

I'll bet the seats in the Riv are more comfortable

:eek: Al...you looking for a whuppin???

There are differences, and the parts are not interchangeable. Of the two, the 3800 is the longer lasting motor. Of course, you can most always find a long lasting survivor in the 3.8 too, but I believe the 3800 has lots of long lasting engines.

Thats cause it's his neighbors car. He just needs the money to fix his own car.

Sorry to hear that your 89 is toast. I must have missed the thread on what happened? Anyway, lots of good advice here but what I also did not see is how you plan to use the car. Are you looking for something able to tow or with such massive room as a wagon, or a simpler grocery getter for days you can't drive the other cars you own? Edit: I just saw your other thread. I hope you are okay. That sounds like quite a hit! Imagine, a 55 MPH crash and you could drive the Lesabre away. That would pretty much settle the question in this thread for me.

I have heard that the engine vacuum is affected by changes to the camshaft. I don't know for a fact that is true. But what would you think of putting some sort of vacuum reservoir in there?

The way I see it, you can't ever guarantee anything. As was mentioned, if they really want the car they will find a way to get it, so make sure you have enough insurance that you can walk away from the scene if it happens. I always try to remember that it's just a car. And unless it's fatal, nothing is permanent. Now, if your with any friends, I try to park in a corner with their car blocking mine in. But most often I just park my car as close to my room as possible, and hope it's all there in the AM. One last thing, unless you are at an organized meet, chances are no one will even know your car is where you leave it. I doubt many thieves are patrolling lots in search of a classic car. I'm sure they would rather have something guaranteed marketable.

Whats the deal on the chrome master cylinder? It does not look like a 70 application to me. Something newer? Since you went this far I'd suggest replacing that with a master cylinder for the car. My 69 Electra's master cylinder was around $25.00 from my NAPA store.

Here's another lame brained idea. Planning to do only one side at a time, lay a 2x12 perpendicular to the side frame rails, and lay a length of heavy chain under the 2 x 12 in the general area where it can be looped around the side rail , out of the way of the A frames. Roll the car onto the 2X 12 and then jack up the side you will do first, Support the frame on two jack stands, one fore, and one aft of the A frames. Note, the length of the chain should be sufficient to reach up and over the side rail when the frame is high enough to get the tire off and allow the lower A frame to swing. It should also be heavy duty chain and it might be a good idea to get two lengths to be used simultaneously. Then place the floor jack under the A frame to complete the removal and re installation. Theoretically the jack and the opposite tire would simultaneously hold down the 2x12 and the car frame while lifting the lower A frame. Seems as though this would work, and then you might be able to use Strut Spring Compressors, which are much cheaper then a coil spring compressor. Again, as 54 Buick Doc says, not to do the whole job but just to assist in compressing the spring to take a little of the tension off.

I was just reading about this process in the Buick Manual for my 78, and it calls for the lower A frame to be disconnected at the pivot bolts, not the ball joint. It also calls for the spring to be chained to the lower a frame running a simple loop up the inner and around the A frame itself. Of course this is the 78, not the 54. But it also has limits on how much you can compress the springs, leading to concerns about proper use of spring compressors. Here's an idea. Suppose you recreate the weight of the engine and transmission by afixing a 4x4 to the top of the frame and the opening of your garage door. Basically brace the 4x4 between to the beam above the door opening and then jack the frame up to it untill your A frame assembly raises sufficiently. Not sure of the measurements needed but pretty sure I'd be using some serious metal plates and heavy bolts where the 4x4 attaches to the frame and the beam.

Good luck with the new car Bill. Hope it's a good as our 06 has been. These cars are great!

LOL..... Good one! My guess is the linkage needs some light lubrication with activation without the car running, just to make sure everything is free. I'd use PB Blaster especially where the linkages run through the carb body.

BTW, I doubt you'd find another radiator that would just drop in there. And what's a V core?

Seems odd that without removing the heads or going deeper into the block that all of a sudden you'd have low compression in 3 cylinders, and 0 in one. Of course strange things can and will happen, but is there anything else that is common between the work done and what's happened? Any possibility of debris falling into the intake while the carb was off? If the carb was off for a while any possibility of a mouse nest or something else in there? How about loose carbon from opening and changing the exhaust passage cover? I guess that does not cover the blow-by, but I'd pull the carb and intake and see if there isn't something blocking the valves open on those weak cylinders.